Hydrachem urges long-term stockpiling to combat Ebola outbreaks

As health agencies grapple with the current Ebola outbreak in Central Africa, UK-based Hydrachem is warning that infection-control success depends on logistics planned long before a crisis hits. The manufacturer argues that relying on liquid bleach is insufficient when supply chains are under extreme pressure in remote regions.

Hydrachem, which has spent five decades in the water purification sector, currently supplies Oasis tablets and granules to Médecins Sans Frontières and UNICEF. Unlike liquid bleach, these chlorine-based products dissolve into a hypochlorous acid solution, offering greater stability and a significantly longer shelf life. According to Nicholas Barbieri, Chief Commercial Officer, the core challenge during an outbreak is not just product availability, but the ability to store, transport, and deploy supplies when local infrastructure is failing.

Barbieri emphasizes that effective disaster response requires shifting the conversation toward durable, compact formats. While tablets are not a replacement for comprehensive protocols like PPE or isolation, they provide a reliable, consistent option for teams operating under volatile conditions. Hydrachem advocates for health ministries and NGOs to build reserves of these stable formats ahead of time, rather than scrambling to source materials once demand has already surged.